26
There are multiple constraints to the adoption of CA in Africa (Thierfelder et al.
2018) including:
• Limited knowledge and capacity amongst farmers
• Lack of sufficient mulch material
• Lack of profitable rotation systems
• Lack of inputs (fertiliser, seeds, herbicides and machinery)
• High costs of inputs
• Lack of credit
• Lack of output market for rotational crops (legumes)
• Farmers’ attitudes
Some of these constraints are not specific to CA, but are general constraints to
the uptake of agricultural technologies. All of these factors must be taken into consideration when promoting CA. For successful adoption of CA, it is therefore not
only necessary to address the three core principles of CA but to also include complementary practices and enabling factors (Thierfelder et al. 2018). CA can best be
promoted by combining technological, socio-economic and institutional approaches.
In order for farmers to adopt CA, they need to be convinced about the agronomic
effect, stover trade-off, labour requirements, financial requirements and the market
for grain and livestock products.
3 The Ox-Plough System in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, more than 90% of the land is tilled using the maresha, which is pulled
by a pair of oxen (Astatke et al. 2003). The maresha does not turn the soil as the
mouldboard plough does, but rather breaks the soil. Fields are usually ploughed
several times and each passing of the maresha should be perpendicular to the previous pass. The first pass with the maresha typically reaches a depth of 8 cm, whilst
the last pass can go down to 20 cm (Astatke et al. 2003). The first pass is normally
performed following the first rains to reduce the formation of clods on the soil surface and because it is more energy-demanding to plough dry soil. When tillage follows a rainfall, it will also serve as a form of weed control. According to farmers,
the reasons for tillage are weed control, moisture conservation, soil warm-up and
manure incorporation (Tamesgen et al. 2008). The purpose of the last pass with the
maresha is also to bury the seeds. The intensity of ploughing depends on several
factors; teff fields are usually ploughed 3–5 times whilst maize fields are ploughed
2–4 times. Teff fields are ploughed intensively because the crop requires a smooth
seedbed and because the crop is a poor competitor against weeds. Heavier soil is
also usually ploughed more often than lighter soil. If rainfall starts early and is distributed over a longer period, more tillage is performed. More intensive tillage is
also performed on large farms and on farms with more male labour (Tamesgen et al.
2008). A pair of oxen can plough around 0.25 ha per day (Nyssen et al. 2011).
J. B. Aune
There are multiple constraints to the adoption of CA in Africa (Thierfelder et al.
2018) including:
• Limited knowledge and capacity amongst farmers
• Lack of sufficient mulch material
• Lack of profitable rotation systems
• Lack of inputs (fertiliser, seeds, herbicides and machinery)
• High costs of inputs
• Lack of credit
• Lack of output market for rotational crops (legumes)
• Farmers’ attitudes
Some of these constraints are not specific to CA, but are general constraints to
the uptake of agricultural technologies. All of these factors must be taken into consideration when promoting CA. For successful adoption of CA, it is therefore not
only necessary to address the three core principles of CA but to also include complementary practices and enabling factors (Thierfelder et al. 2018). CA can best be
promoted by combining technological, socio-economic and institutional approaches.
In order for farmers to adopt CA, they need to be convinced about the agronomic
effect, stover trade-off, labour requirements, financial requirements and the market
for grain and livestock products.
3 The Ox-Plough System in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, more than 90% of the land is tilled using the maresha, which is pulled
by a pair of oxen (Astatke et al. 2003). The maresha does not turn the soil as the
mouldboard plough does, but rather breaks the soil. Fields are usually ploughed
several times and each passing of the maresha should be perpendicular to the previous pass. The first pass with the maresha typically reaches a depth of 8 cm, whilst
the last pass can go down to 20 cm (Astatke et al. 2003). The first pass is normally
performed following the first rains to reduce the formation of clods on the soil surface and because it is more energy-demanding to plough dry soil. When tillage follows a rainfall, it will also serve as a form of weed control. According to farmers,
the reasons for tillage are weed control, moisture conservation, soil warm-up and
manure incorporation (Tamesgen et al. 2008). The purpose of the last pass with the
maresha is also to bury the seeds. The intensity of ploughing depends on several
factors; teff fields are usually ploughed 3–5 times whilst maize fields are ploughed
2–4 times. Teff fields are ploughed intensively because the crop requires a smooth
seedbed and because the crop is a poor competitor against weeds. Heavier soil is
also usually ploughed more often than lighter soil. If rainfall starts early and is distributed over a longer period, more tillage is performed. More intensive tillage is
also performed on large farms and on farms with more male labour (Tamesgen et al.
2008). A pair of oxen can plough around 0.25 ha per day (Nyssen et al. 2011).
J. B. Aune